Microsoft 365 Defender now has a custom detection feature that works in real-time and it is available in preview from today. Known as “NRT” or “Continuous”, the feature allows customers to set a custom detection frequency in Microsoft 365 Defender.
Near real-time (NRT) allows the security service to detect threats almost exactly in real-time and deal with them instantly. Microsoft Defender provides a Customer Detection wizard where admins can set the frequency of detection they want.
Until this introduction, Microsoft 365 Defender would only allow detection intervals every hour, every 3 hours, every 12 hours, or every 24 hours.
Tali Nash, Senior Product Manager for Microsoft 365 Defender, announced the product today and explained how it works:
“To address the need for faster detections and response, we are thrilled to announce that you can now create custom detection rules that run in near real-time, in addition to existing frequencies ranging from every 24 hours to every hour. These detections can be integrated with the broad set of Microsoft 365 Defender across email, endpoint, and identity, leading to faster response times and faster mitigation of threats.
This means your custom logic will run and evaluate all available signals and alerts faster than ever before and will trigger your predefined response action immediately, once a match is detected.
This new frequency will be available in Microsoft 365 Defender as Continuous (NRT).”
Windows 11 App
Last month, Microsoft announced it is bringing Microsoft Defender to Windows 11 as a dedicated Microsoft 365 App. This means the security suite will now be available on Windows 11 by default for Microsoft 365 subscribers.
This doesn't mean all Windows 11 users will be able to access the app. You will still need a Microsoft 365 account. Also, Windows Security – itself a branch of Microsoft Defender – will continue to serve as the native anti-virus tool.
Tip of the day: For the most part, Windows apps are stable, but they can still be still thrown out of whack by updates or configuration issues. Many boot their PC to find their Microsoft Store isn't working or their Windows apps aren't opening. Luckily Windows 11 and Windows 10 have an automatic repair feature for apps that can resolve such issues.
